St. Demetrios Church congregants celebrate

St. Demetrios rebuilt and better than before

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Three grand chandeliers adorn Merrick’s newly renovated St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, which opened its doors to nearly a thousand worshippers and guests on Oct. 25 after more than two years of reconstruction.

Fire gutted the structure in the summer of 2013.

At the morning prayer service, the St. Demetrios

congregation welcomed Archbishop Demetrios of America, who leads the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. People spilled from the pews into the lobby for the service.

“The reconstruction has been a process of labor and love from parishioners,” Georgia Pavou, a St. Demetrios staff member, said. “We were so excited to finally be able to open the doors to the church and welcome everyone inside.”

The service, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., was followed by a luncheon to thank Archbishop Demetrios for attending, as well as congregants for remaining loyal to the church during hard times.

“It’s been a long journey, but it was all worth it,” Pavou said.

The Byzantine-style church was built in the early 1980s at 2421 Hewlett Ave. It is shaped like a cross and topped by an immense copper dome. Before the fire, it housed century-old, handmade icons, from carved-wood to silver artifacts, as well as 56 custom-made, stained-glass windows. On Aug. 9, 2013, fire destroyed the church’s interior, leaving it a shell of its former self. The cause was a ceremonial candle, according to fire officials. Now the church is upgraded and better than ever.

“We commissioned a wonderful team to work together with architects and engineers,” the Rev. Nikiforos Fakinos, the church pastor, said. “We have made sure to safeguard the church and to ensure that nothing like this will ever happen again.”

The new church features state-of-the-art fire detection and suppression systems, interior and exterior security cameras, and improved handicapped accessibility, including new railings, ramps and an elevator to the upper level.

“We’re also environmentally friendly,” Fakinos said. “There’s … extensive insulation throughout the building, [as well as] 64 double-paned, stained-glass windows, LED lighting to increase visualization inside the church, and floodlights so the iconography can be easily seen.”

The mahogany pews are custom-made, as are the doors, marble floors and mosaic emblems at the front and back of the church. Upgrades have been made to the kitchen as well.

The congregation is ready to continue helping the community by aiding local hospitals and raising money for charity, Fakinos said. “We’ll continue to do more for a better world and a better society through a fully functioning church,” he said, adding that all in the community are invited to view the redone house of worship.